1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an operating button device, for an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic apparatus, such as a digital camera and a digital video camera, is usually provided with an operating button device. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a user can use the operating button device 2 to control functions such as zoom adjustment and menu selection of a digital camera 1. The camera 1 includes a circuit 11 and switches 12 disposed on the circuit 11. The conventional operating button device 2 includes first and second operating button sets 21, 22. The first operating button set 21 includes a mounting seat 211, a pair of press buttons 212 disposed on two sides of the mounting seat 211, respectively, and an elastic plate 213 in a form of a continuous S-shape and connected to two ends of the mounting seat 211. The second operating button set 22 includes a toggle button 221 disposed on the elastic plate 213 of the first operating button set 21, and a pair of contact pieces 222 disposed on two sides of a bottom part of the toggle button 221, respectively.
When the user operates the toggle button 221, it will rotate relative to the mounting seat 211, thereby deforming the elastic plate 213 and driving one of the contact pieces 222 to actuate a corresponding switch 12 of the camera 1 so that the relevant function of the camera 1 will be activated. When the user releases the toggle button 221, the elastic plate 213 will restore to its normal state, thereby driving the toggle button 221 to its original position.
However, since the first operating button 21, which includes the elastic plate 213 having a complex S-shaped design, is formed integrally from plastic, the elastic plate 213 is liable to suffer from elastic fatigue and even fracture after long-term use, thereby resulting in a relatively short service life. In addition, the restoring force of the elastic plate 213 is inadequate and the touch sensation when operating the toggle button 221 is not satisfactory. Moreover, the size of the elastic plate 213 is relatively large, which goes against the trend toward miniaturization in the design of electronic apparatus.